Girl Talk
by ScarletMissCharlotte
Summary: A bit of Serena and Colette friendship. Set around October 2014


**For Lee :)**

**A/N - I realise this has the lamest title ever - and its is just a short little one-shot**

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><p><span>Girl Talk<span>

Colette Sheward had just done a quick round of the ward, AAU found itself surprisingly quiet for a Friday Morning, Thursday nights were known as the night the students hit the town, and with Fresher's back in full swing she had expected the ED backlog. How wrong was she? However, this quietness probably came as a saving grace, as she noticed that one of her colleagues seemed a little out of sorts.

Although, this did not fall as a surprise to her after the week her colleague had found herself having. However, as a friend, she started to feel a little concerned; a quiet and distant Serena Campbell was never a good thing.

"You look like you could do with a brew" Colette sidled up to Serena, who sat looking out blankly at the AAU Ward floor, ever so slightly rocking in the chair at the nurses' station.

"I could do with a glass of Shiraz, but given that I am all of what _three_ hours into a twelve-hour shift, I'll settle for a coffee" Serena replied displaying some of her classic wit.

Closing up the iPad, Serena followed Colette to the staffroom; it was almost as if Serena was not a Consultant, but merely a student nurse who needed taking under Colette's wing, as a subdued, Serena sat herself down at the table as Colette made them both a coffee and set to work her magic.

"Right Campbell, you are going to tell me what has gotten you so bogged down" Colette spoke, placing the coffee in front of Serena and taking the chair next to her.

"It's nothing"

"Yeah, I'm _not_ buying that" Colette rolled her eyes. "Is it Adrienne? Claims against you were false, it was her carer; you should not let it get to you"

"Easier said than done," Serena sighed, "My mother is _fine_, well as fine as you can get. I never thought she would ever suggest that I could harm it. I'd rather have been my ex-husbands crutch, than having my own mother start turning against me"

"It is always loved ones that come worse off; you have always said things between you and your mum are difficult. However, that does not mean that she meant to accuse you, she isn't turning against you"

"I know" Serena agonised, regardless of facts, it hurt too much to think that her relationship with her mother had come to such a fragile state. "I never thought that it would come to this"

"There is still a _long_ road ahead" Colette reached out and gave her friend's hand a gentle squeeze of reassurance "You've got some good support around here, despite what Guy says, he's being an ass… you've got rights to access a lot of work related support"

"That's funny; Ric said something similar last night"

"How did he, _oh_ if Guy's been bad mouthing you, I swear ... That man he..." Colette was almost about to go off on a rant, she was sick of Guy's behaviour towards most of his colleagues, it was truly awful and she only wished she could do something about it.

"I called Ric, I told him myself... He, he is the voice of reason sometimes... _My_ voice of reason…"

"But just a little too grumpy to actually be taken seriously" Colette joked; she had found herself used to Ric's moods and the jokes some of her younger co-workers made when he was not in earshot.

"He's not _that_ bad"

"No, he's wandering around with a smile, one larger than a clown's this morning"

"Is he?" Serena raised her eyebrow, curious to why Colette would make such a statement.

"Yep, whistling down the corridors too. You haven't got any inclusion as to why?"

"Mmmhmm"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"_Nothing_" Serena made a pathetic attempt to backtrack.

"Serena"

"I slept with Ric last night" Serena confessed and was rather blunt, "I went to his, and we had sex"

"Was it that bad?" Colette questioned, given Ric's happy mood she wondered why Serena seemed so down; she assumed Serena did not reap the rewards.

"Oh, no ... No, _certainly_ not" Serena grinned. remembering rather pleasantly what had happened between herself and Ric. "More than I bargained for, a _lot_ more"

"So"

"_So_" Serena raised her eyebrow

"Why are you feeling deflated?"

"I feel like it was just a sympathy shag, a pick me up. Ric going out his way and taking pity on me" Serena shrugged

"I hardly think Ric would stoop so low" Colette did not know too much about Ric's history or his attraction to a damsel in distress.

Serena nervously laughed, she felt so uncertain. She knew Ric was not a bad person, not anymore and in his kind nature, he would not do such a thing. However, she just had this feeling that would not go away, she felt as if there was something left unspoken.

"No, he wouldn't" Serena replied completely, contradicting her earlier statement. "Ric and I, we have a complicated friendship, and …"

"Well you're either friends or you're not" Colette stated, pulling a rather bemused face as she lay unaware of the full details to Ric and Serena's working history.

"He used to hate me and I would happily take this piss out of him, for my own amusement"

"What changed?"

"No idea, I suspect it may have been to do with my mother, among other things... Well _Edward_"

"Ric get a taste of the green-eyed monster?"

"Jealous over Edward, I doubt that"

"Shut up, I meant you, you're _gorgeous_. I would love to have had two men almost fight over me. Any fool can see Ric adores you" Colette remarked in an attempt to soothe Serena's anxieties

Serena could not help but smile, if anything last night she had learnt that he definitely adored her. "I _adore_ him, he's a good guy, and it's just... We didn't even speak about it this morning, we just... You know"

"You minx" Colette beamed, for her it was so nice to see her friend let her hair down and feel comfortable in doing so.

"Yeah, and a sore one at that" Serena raised her eyebrow

"TMI, girl"

The two friends burst into laughter, it was only a few weeks ago that they had a giggle over one if Colette's drunken conquests which left them more than amused and Serena making friendly jokes to her friend.

"Look seriously; we all get caught in the moment a pre-work chat about where your friendship is heading isn't always a good idea... Sex though, that's _always_ a winner"

"It is indeed, I just wish I knew what meant to him as he is _so_ hard to read"

"Well ask him, what have you got to lose?"

"My dignity, yes 'Hi Ric, we had a great time last night and I think we should do it again, oh by the way - I _think_ I love you' - yeah that will work"

"Do you love him?"

"I...Well.." Serena shrugged widening her eyes "You and Fletch are, making quite a team" Serena smirked attempting to steer the conversation away from the subject of her night with Ric.

"That isn't what you think, he's an _idiot_"

"That is just another way of declaring your love for him"

"_Ha-ha_, not a chance" Colette tried to pretend there was nothing to it, but deep down she knew she still held a touch for Fletch after all these years.

"You keep telling yourself that"

"Getting back on topic, Fletch and I - not going to happen; there's more chance of you being Ric's _next_ bride"

Choking on her coffee, Serena found that thought almost amusing, but also terrifying after all Ric had many failed marriages and near marriages that the thought of marrying Ric stood as something she would never allow herself to fall into, never.

"_What_?" Colette beamed, completely twice as amused at Serena's reaction and started humming the Bridal March.

"Nurse Sheward"

"Yep"

"Get out; else I'll have your contract terminated with immediate effect"

Colette smiled and shook her head, she always enjoyed Serena's company; she was not the bitter career minded woman she first thought she was. Serena was actually a decent human being with a heart, and a witty attitude that shone greater than anyone she had ever known.

However, it was mainly because of Adrienne did the pair strike up a friendship; Colette had often found herself as Guy's lapdog rather than the best friend - yet it took until recently to realise that and Serena, well she really did not do friendship, not really.

Therefore, the pair becoming allies, sharing gossip and personal troubles came as a welcoming union as these days, so many older women in the work place saw rivalry. Their friendship really was a blessing, we all need friends at some point in our lives, and a strong female bond, such as the one Colette and Serena had struck up was one of those valuable ones.

Pouring out the remainder of her coffee before placing her mug in the dishwasher, Colette smiled knowingly as she left the staffroom. There was one little favour she clearly needed to do for her friend and she knew already what the outcome would be and luckily, she did not have to try too hard as she found the person she needed too sooner than she expected herself to.

"Serena's in the staffroom, you should go and talk to her" Colette leaned into Ric, trying to come across as discreet.

Ric classically screwed his face in response, unaware that Serena and Colette had been talking. However, he figured it must at least be something important and without saying a word, he headed off to the staffroom, for what only find itself described as a life changing conversation.


End file.
